You Can Attend Givenchy's Fashion Show (Yes, You)

Go ahead and pinch yourself, because yes, you read that headline correctly. For their first show in New York City, Givenchy's runway is open to the public. Creative director Ricardo Tisci is reserving 1,200 free tickets for fans, fashion students, and faculty. The tickets are to be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis online this Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 10 A.M. for the show on the evening of Sept. 11, and will make up the majority of the show's audience. So if you ever dreamed of attending NYFW, sitting among the fashion crowd, and experiencing Givenchy in action on American soil, this is your chance.

According to WWD, Givenchy has set aside 280 tickets for fashion students in the NYC area from Parsons, FIT, Pratt Institute, and the High School For Fashion Industries. Another 100 tickets will be reserved for people living in proximity of the show's location — which has yet to be revealed. As for the remaining 820 tickets, they will be released to non-industry, non-celebrity spectators. The French brand is working closely with The City of New York to execute this public-audience project, creating a nycgo.com website to reserve tickets. The direct link to the tickets was released on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 10 a.m., exactly 24 hours before fans can claim them, via the social media accounts of Givenchy, CFDA, NYCGo, and KCD.

Since becoming the creative director of Givenchy in 2005, Tisci has become one of the most active designers on social media, always showing an effort to connect with and relate back to his fans. This public showing for the upcoming collection falls in line with that attitude, making high fashion available and accessible to everyone.

For fashion fans who dream of being able to attending NYFW, let alone the first Givenchy show in New York City, this couldn't be a greater opportunity. While the public tickets will be set apart from fashion industry insiders and celebs (no, you won't be seated next to Kim Kardashian), I have no doubt they'll go quick. Hopefully, this won't be a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Givenchy's decision may just change Fashion Week as we know it. Because if a global brand like Givenchy is willing to open it's runway to the general public for no cost whatsoever, maybe other brands and designers will do the same.

But until that happens, brands and designers are taking steps to make Fashion Week more accessible to the general public. Whether or not you're lucky enough to cop a ticket for Givenchy, there are still ways you can take part in the madness. Here are five other ways that you can experience NYFW for yourself.

1. Watch Online

Thanks to the lovely internet, you can be virtually anywhere and still be watching the NYFW shows during the entire week-long event. Courtesy of NewYorkFashionWeekLive.com, this website gives you the schedule and a corresponding live feed to all the shows that will take place. And yes, that means you can wear your pajamas if you want.

2. Keep Up On Social Media

Social media is a sure way to keep up with what's happening on the runway. If you follow the fashion crowd, your Instagram will inevitably be filled with street-style photos, runway videos, and updates directly from the events. From live stories on Snapchat to new statuses on Twitter every moment. Eva Chen, head of fashion partnerships at Instagram, is guaranteed to keep you updated. And provide some humor, because she really is fantastic.

3. Volunteer

If you reside in NYC and have a true passion for fashion, and a tough skin, this one might be for you. Each season, IMG and CFDA recruit around 400 volunteers to help contribute to NYFW in any way that is needed. Of course, it's a tough (and unpaid) job, according to The Cut, but I'm sure the experience is one you'll never forget.

4. Apps

If you'd rather experience the excitement from the comfort of your own mobile device, you can download an app that will deliver all the looks and updates you need within minutes of their debut. Apps like Vogue Runway (perfect for scrolling through individual runway looks), ChicFeed (your street-style destination) and PopSugar Fashion Week (celeb updates from the front row) organize all the latest FW news in a user-friendly app.

Images: NewYorkFashionWeekLive.com Screenshot